Yes, that’s what the heated rhetoric coming from Washington about North Korea –and being responded to in no less bellicose tones by the Asian country – is: a nasty war of words. Rest assured that no bullets, no rockets, no mother of all bombs, not to mention atomic weapons are about to be fired, dropped or exchanged. Which, of course, is great.

New calls for President Trump to release his tax returns came amid furor over the White House’s decision to no longer share visitor logs. That bars the public from knowing who has access to officials, even as Mr. Trump fills top jobs with former consultants and lobbysts.

Tax “reform,” starting with taxes on business, seems to be on everyone’s agenda, and it may be a place where the incoming Trump administration and its Democratic critics find common ground. But it’s still going to be a slog, and one reason is so-called “pass-through” businesses whose taxes are levied at personal income tax rates.

Me? I'm as nice as the next guy. I'll help people pick up dropped parcels, shovel the elderly neighbor's walk, drop a buck in the donation jar, that sort of thing.

But I'm not that nice: I've never once volunteered in a soup kitchen or spent time hanging out with the grannies in the nursing home -- it takes a very, very special person to give away their time or talent to others. Especially when that talent is highly in demand and can be charged at a premium.